Australia faces fossil fuel crossfire at COP28
As the UN's climate conference gets under way in the UAE, Australia risks getting caught in the middle of a debate over the future of fossil fuels.
For perhaps the first time ever, Australian climate policy experts are not cringing about the nation’s progress at the beginning of a UN climate change conference.
In the past year, Australia has done a lot of heavy lifting on a range of net zero policies and can now boast legislated emissions targets and a Net Zero Authority. Plans are also under way for sectoral emissions targets and a fuel efficiency standard.
But the government should refrain from gloating. There is still no sign of a phase down of combustion engine vehicle sales or an end to approving fossil fuel extraction projects. And according to the Climate Change Authority, we are running behind on our 2030 emissions targets.
Predictably, the UN, the European Union and a number of countries are making more rapid progress towards having credible net zero policies. And a proposal for the permanent end of fossil fuel extraction and use is on the table at the COP28 negotiations. Several countries, including France, Spain and Ireland, have already enacted extraction bans.
